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A couple of points worth flagging
up about dried apricots and dried
fruit in general is that the sugar
content increases in the drying
process, so their calorie count goes
up. As dehydrated apricots are much
smaller than the fresh version, it's
easier to eat more of them and end
up consuming more calories and
sugar than you would expect. For this
reason, it helps to limit consumption
to a handful of between 6-8 daily.
If you are sensitive to bloating, the
increase in fibre coupled with the
sulphur dioxide used in the drying
process may make large portions of
apricots hard to digest and give you
a swollen stomach. Despite dried
fruits being higher in sugar than
the fresh version, the nutrients they
contain makes them an excellent
sugar substitute and a better choice
for snacking than cakes, biscuits,
chocolate bars and sweets.
Avocado Prawn and Cabbage Salad (Serves 6)
Ingredients:
• 6 fat garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 350g (12oz) raw shelled prawns
• 25g (1oz) roasted cashew nuts,
finely chopped
• 1 ripe avocado
• 125g (4oz) white cabbage or
Chinese cabbage, finely shredded
• 1 small green mango, peeled,
stoned and shredded
• 1 small handful of fresh mint and
coriander leaves, roughly chopped
• 6 spring onions, shredded
For the dressing:
• ½ red chilli, deseeded and finely
chopped
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp. Bonne Maman Apricot
Conserve
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
Method:
1. Put all the dressing ingredients in
a jar and shake together.
2. Fry the garlic in the oil in a
heavy-based saucepan over a
medium heat until golden and
crispy. Remove from the oil with
a slotted spoon and set aside.
3. In the same oil, stir-fry the
prawns with the roasted cashew
nuts for about 2-3 minutes until
the prawns are just pink. Add
to the garlic, spoon over two
tablespoons of the dressing and
set aside to cool.
4. When ready to serve, peel,
stone and dice the avocado and
toss together with the cabbage,
mango, herbs, spring onions
and prawn mixture. Serve
immediately, handing round
the remaining dressing in a
separate bowl.
Recipe from Bonne Maman - The Seasonal Cookbook (Simon & Schuster), Recipe development by Moyra Fraser.
Tips: You can make the dressing up to 1 week ahead and keep in a jar in the fridge. Cook the prawn mixture the day
before needed, keep chilled then toss everything together just before serving. The dressing is also delicious spooned
over pan-fried chicken fillets and served with basmati rice.